We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

A loose, exuberant throwdown of folk songs and traditionals popularized by Pete that can only be explained with commas: rock, folk, Dixieland, ragtime, gospel, French Quarter, honky-tonk, blues — in a word, American music. “Not music being written,” Springsteen writes, “but music being made.”

Lyrics
Jesse James was a lad that killed many a man,
He robbed the Danville train,
He stole from the rich and he gave to the poor,
He'd a hand and a heart and a brain.

[chorus:]
Poor Jesse had a wife to mourn for his life,
Three children, they were brave;
But the dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
Has laid Jesse James in his grave.
It was Robert Ford, that dirty little coward,
I wonder how he does feel,
For he ate of Jesse's bread and he slept in Jesse's bed,
Then he laid poor Jesse in his grave.

Jesse was a man, a friend to the poor,
He'd never see a man suffer pain,;
And with his brother Frank, he robbed the Chicago bank,
And stopped the Glendale train.

It was on a Wednesday night and the moon was shining bright,
They robbed the Glendale train,
And the people they did say for many miles away,
It was robbed by Frank and Jesse James.

It was his brother Frank that robbed the Gallatin bank,
And carried the money from the town;
lt was in this very place that they had a little race,
For they shot Captain Sheets to the ground.

They went to the crossing not very far from there,
And there they did the same;
With the agent on his knees, he delivered up the keys
To the outlaws, Frank and Jesse James.

It was on Saturday night and Jesse was at home
Talking with his family brave,
Robert Ford came along like a thief in the night
And laid poor Jesse in his grave.

The people held their breath when they heard of Jesse's death,
And wondered how he ever came to die.
It was one of the gang called little Robert Ford,
He shot poor Jesse on the sly.

Jesse went to rest with his hand on his breast,
The devil will be upon his knee.
He was born one day in the county of Clay,
And he came from a solitary race.

This song was made by Billy Gashade
As soon as the news did arrive;
He said there was no man with the law in his hand
Who could take Jesse James when alive.
Also Appears OnLive in DublinLive in Dublin Film

Lyrics
"Mrs. McGrath," the sergeant said,
"Would you like to make a soldier
Out of your son, Ted?
With a scarlet cloak and a fine cocked hat,
Mrs. McGrath wouldn't you like that?"

Mrs. McGrath lived on the seashore
For the space of seven long years or more
'Till she saw big ship sailing in the bay
"Hallelu, babbelu, I think it's he!"

"Oh, Captain dear, where have you been.
Have you been out sailin' on the Mediteren'.
Have you any tidings of my son Ted.
Is the poor boy livin' or is he dead?"

Now up comes Ted without any legs
And in their place there were two wooden pegs
She kissed him a dozen times or two
Saying "Holy moly could it be you?"

"Now was you drunk or was you blind
When you left your two fine legs behind?
Or was it out walking upon the sea
That tore your legs from the knees away?"

"No I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind.
For a cannon ball on the fifth of May
Took my two fine legs from the knees away."

"Now Teddy me boy," the old widow cried
"Your two fine legs was your mama's pride
Them stumps of a tree won't do at all
Why didn't you run from the big cannon ball?"

"Now against all war, I do profrain
Between Don Juan and the King of Spain
And, by herrons, I'll make 'em rue the time
When they swept the legs from a child of mine."
Also Appears OnLive in DublinLive in Dublin Film

Lyrics
Oh, Mary, don't you weep
Tell Martha not to moan
Pharaoh's army drowned in the Red Sea
Oh, Mary, don't you weep
Tell Martha not to moan
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where Moses stood
Pharaoh's army drowned in the Red Sea
Oh, Mary, don't you weep
Tell Martha not to moan

You know Jesus... He's my Friend
He picks me up when I fall down again
Every day I get on my knees and pray
That the Lord's hand will come and show the way
And I just thank Him each day that I live
I give Him all that I have to give ... every day!

Jesus, He told Mary, "Don't you weep no more
Just believe in a miracle
Every day there's a miracle in your life
You've just got to look for it
Have faith in your heart, in your soul, every day".
Jesus told Mary, "Don't you no more
'Cause I'm coming back again... yes I am!"

Now Mary had a brother named Lazarus
One day when Jesus was praying to the masses
Lazarus passed away.
Mary she lost faith
She got sick at the heart
She didn't believe
Jesus came back
He told Mary, "Don't you weep... 'cause I can fix it!"

He said Lazarus, "Rise up and walk with te livig"
And lazarus rose up ... O what a miracle
Jesus told Mary, "You don't have to weep
No you don't have to moan!"

Lyrics
One, two, three
Well, John Henry was a little baby
Sittin' on his dady's knee
He pick up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
And, "God, hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Hammer's gonna be the death of me"

Now the captain he said to John Henry,
"I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round
I'm gonna bring that steam drill out on these tracks
I'm gonna knock that steel on down, God, God
Gonna knock that steel on down"

John Henry told his captain,
"Lord, man ain't nothin' but a man
Before I let that steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
Die with a hammer in my hand"
Violin Soozie!

John Henry driving on the right side
That steam drill driving on the left
Says, "Before I'll let your steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna hammer myself to death, Lord, Lord
I'll hammer my fool self to death"

Well, captain said to John Henry,
"What is that stone out here?"
John Henry said, "That ain't no stone
Captain, that's just my hammer in here, Lord, Lord
That's just my hammer in here"

???
Now John Henry, he hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard, he broke his heart
John Henry laid his hammer and died, Lord, Lord
John Henry laid down his hammer and died

Well, now John Henry, he had him a woman
Her name was Polly Ann
She walked down to those tracks, picked up John Henry's hammer
Polly drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord
Polly drove that steel like a man
Hey!

Well every, every Monday morning
When the bluebird he begin to sing
You can hear John Henry from a mile or more
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring
??? again!
So you can hear John Henry's hammer ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring
Come on! Woah!

Lyrics
When they opened up the strip I was young and full of zip,
I wanted a place to call my own.
And so I made the race, and staked me out a place,
And settled down along the Cimarron.

It blowed away, it blowed away,
My Oklahoma home, it blowed away.
It looked so green and fair when I built my shanty there,
But my Oklahoma home, it blowed away.

I planted wheat and oats, got some chickens and some shoats,
Aimed to have some ham and eggs to feed my face.
Got a mule to pull the plow, got an old red muley cow
And got a fancy mortgage on the place.

It blowed away, it blowed away,
All the crops I planted blowed away.
You can't grow any grain if there isn't any rain;
All except the mortgage blowed away.

It blowed away my rooster and it blowed away my hens;
The pigs and cattle went astray.
All the crops that I sowed went a-foggin' down the road.
My Oklahoma farm, it blowed away.

It blowed away, it blowed away,
Everything I owned blowed away.
I hollered and I cussed when my land went up in dust,
When my Oklahoma farm, it blowed away.

It looked so green and fair, when I built my shanty there,
I figured I was all set for life.
I put on my Sunday best with my fancy scalloped vest
And went to town and picked me out a wife.

She blowed away, she blowed away
My Oklahoma woman blowed away.
Just as I bent and kissed her, she was picked up by a twister;
My Oklahoma woman blowed away.

Then I was left alone a-listenin' to the moan
Of the wind around the corners of my shack;
So I took off down the road when the south wind blowed,
A-travelin' with the wind at my back.

I blowed away, I blowed away
Chasin' a dust cloud up ahead.
Once it looked so green and fair, now it's up there in the air;
My Oklahoma farm is overhead.

Now I'm always close to home no matter where I roam,
For Oklahoma dust is everywhere.
Makes no difference where I'm walkin', I can hear my chickens squawkin'
I can hear my wife a-talkin' in the air.

It blowed away, it blowed away,
My Oklahoma home blowed away.
But my home is always near; it's in the atmosphere,
My Oklahoma home that blowed away.

I'm a roamin' Oklahoman, but I'm always close to home
And I'll never get homesick 'til I die.
No matter where I'm found, my home is all around;
My Oklahoma home is in the sky.

It blowed away, it blowed away,
My farm down upon the Cimarron.
But all around the world, wherever dust is whirled,
Some is from my Oklahoma home.

It blowed away, it blowed away,
My Oklahoma home blowed away.
Oh it's up there in the sky in that dust cloud rolling by,
My Oklahoma home is in the sky.
Also Appears OnLive in DublinLive in Dublin Film

Lyrics
My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation.
I hear the real, though far off hymn
That hails the new creation
Above the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?

What though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
What though the darkness round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of Heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,
And hear their death-knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?
In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging.
When friends by shame are undefiled,
How can I keep from singing?

Lyrics
Well the doctor comes 'round here with his face all bright
And he says "in a little while you'll be alright"
All he gives is a humbug pill, a dose of dope and a great big bill
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live

"Me and my old school pals had some mighty high times down here
And what happened to you poor black folks, well it just ain't fair"
He took a look around, gave a little pep talk, said "I'm with you" then he took a little walk
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live

There's bodies floatin' on Canal and the levees gone to Hell
Martha, get me my sixteen gauge and some dry shells
Them who's got got out of town and them who ain't got left to drown
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live

Go ahead!

Got family scattered from Texas all the way to Baltimore
Yeah and I ain't got no home in this world no more
Gonna be a judgment that's a fact, a righteous train rollin' down this track
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live
Also Appears OnLive in DublinLive in Dublin Film

Lyrics
What is this land America so many travel there
I'm going now while I'm still young my darling meet me there
Wish me luck my lovely I'll send for you when I can
And we'll make our home in the American land

Over there all the woman wear silk and satin to their knees
And children dear, the sweets, I hear, are growing on the trees
Gold comes rushing out the rivers straight into your hands
When you make your home in the American Land

There's diamonds in the sidewalk the's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land

I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spires
She met me in the valley of red-hot steel and fire
We made the steel that built the cities with our sweat and two hands
And we made our home in the American Land

There's diamonds in the sidewalk the's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land

The McNicholas, the Posalski's, the Smiths, Zerillis, too
The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews
Come across the water a thousand miles from home
With nothin in their bellies but the fire down below

They died building the railroads worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago they're still dyin now
The hands that built the country were always trying to keep down